…And here’s my message for yesterday.
I’ve come to embrace that I have walked 40 years in this reality.
They say – Or, at least I’ve heard, that life begins at 30… No sir. I have reason to believe that life truly begins at 40. And while we’re going through all sorts of cliches, I’d like to chime in and share that it’s true what you hear or read regarding how the first 40 years are your trial period, and now you’re live. In call center (senner) speak the first 40 years were your training, you’ve passed your certifications, and now you’re on the production floor, taking live calls from real customers.
More cliches!
The 40 days and 40 nights enduring the rain and the floods are over. Step out of the boat.
The 40 years of wandering in the wilderness are over. Enter the promised land.
Lest I lose my focus, I must ask myself: Was any of that of our doing? The thing is, it was not by Noah’s foresight, not by Noah’s strength, intelligence or wisdom that the foreknowledge of such a deluge would happen, much less the wisdom of a craft for safety; No, it was by the grace of God that Noah was able to build an ark of such precise measurements to not only preserve humanity but all fauna that could possibly be preserved; It was by the grace of God that the said ark stayed together through 40 days of water that covered the mountains.
It was certainly not by the strength or wisdom of the Israelites that they were able to unite and move in one direction; No, it was by the grace of God that the Israelites were not only led and sustained through 40 years; It was by the grace of God that they were given leadership and the favor to finally cross into the land promised to them.
Cliches aside, and play the dramatic background music: It was by God’s grace, and by His faithfulness that I survived – and I’d like to think I haven’t just survived, but thrived.
But here’s the thing. It hasn’t been a month, and SO MUCH is going on. Prior to turning 40 years I thought I’d be ready, with an Excel sheet plotting out what my days were going to look like, complete with routines and activities to not only usher in immediate but compound progression for my mind, body and spirit.
Turns out there were other things that needed my attention, much so that so many times since my birthday I’ve had to ditch the so-called ironclad routine.
For the past decade or so I’ve struggled and stressed over some land issues that I admittedly blamed my Dad for bringing me into. We tried of our own strength and resources, me and my mom, to try to settle things and to protect our interests, but I guess we silently agreed to just cast it aside so we could focus on other things… or, at least that’s the version that sounds nicer, because we really just made it our last priority because the mere thought of it brought stress to us.
That is, until the beginning of this month, when God seemed to have responded in His perfect timing to all my complaining and whining and just crying out to Him whenever these lots came into mind – not by way of wisdom and/or ideas, as I would have expected Him to respond, but by way of far relatives noticing the land, and then our plight, and still pushing on our behalf to secure the properties before other unscrupulous actors take advantage of them.
Then there’s the matter of the business we’ve worked, oh, more than 2 years now to materialize… Again, God seems to have responded in His perfect timing by expediting all our requirements to the point of government inspection, and much to our relief as a business team, there were only very minor details to fix before we had full endorsement to the central office.
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.
Proverbs 19:21
While I was sharing this to the (mainly older) congregation, I’ve had to acknowledge that these were nothing compared to whatever they’ve gone through and survived through themselves… But as we’ve talked about, it’s not a matter of who has worse problems, or more problems… I’ve had to remind them just as much as I reminded myself:
Was any of this my doing? I had my plans, but NONE of this was my doing. It was the will of the Lord that was followed through ALL this time, and I’m not complaining – it’s all falling into place according to HIS Wisdom, and I’d much rather that be the case.
And it all boils down to this: During the times that I had far more free time in my hands, up until these moments when my abilities are tested (regarding managing time and making the most value out of the time I have) – The Lord’s grace has always been present, and more importantly, His will has ALWAYS been done.
Back when the times when solutions for these said business and real estate situations were not visible, and all that was present was anxiety and fear, up until this moment where we do see some movement, we have more cause to trust in the Lord, because as I see it, His will has ALWAYS been done.
Do I say this with outside or external circumstances as proof? No, rather, it was by the power of the Holy Spirit alive in us and convicting us that we are assured – For as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
It’s not by some revelation from the outside in that we were able to affirm that God’s will is done in our lives – Rather, it’s by the working of the Holy Spirit, and really, it’s only His power alone that we’re able to rejoice when the rest of the world would have us perpetually negative in the face of all we’re experiencing… It’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit, alive in us, and guaranteed in us as we are in Him only through Christ and His finished work – only by the power of the Holy Spirit are we so bold to continue in communing – singing, speaking, thinking, whispering, screaming, shouting, complaining – to the Creator of the Universe, who we call our Father.
Finally, and most importantly, it’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit, which infinitely surpasses the greatest humanist efforts of mediation, positive thinking, or denial/unbelief of the ‘negative’, that we are able to be genuinely thankful and wholeheartedly grateful in ALL circumstances.
We had peace while we were in limbo, because the will of the Lord was constantly being fulfilled in our lives – in the form of our giving genuine thanks, no matter what we see or don’t see happening.
Much more do we have peace now, in these moments when we DO see things happening, because we have even more cause to give thanks, acknowledging His will is ALWAYS done, whether we say it or not.
So whether we are before, during, or after great and challenging circumstances and seasons in our lives, we rejoice and pray! We give thanks, for indeed, through it all, we have a faithful God who deserves ALL glory!
Until the next post, God bless us all.
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#Hope #Frustration #HolySpirit #GodsWill #Thanksgiving #Prayer #Worship #Revelations #Reflections #PracticalChristianity #JesusChrist #BenefitsOfSalvation #Bible #Planning #Aging
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